Time to Wake up
by Sly Raccoon
Summary: Thalia's thoughts from when she woke up to find Annabeth five years older, Luke a traitor and Percy had taken his place. I'm not sure if this is a good story but I think it is. It sounds crappy but... I rate everything T so...
1. Waking up

**"She needs nectar and ambrosia," A boy said. He had a smooth voice. I tried to wake up. To breath. He took me by the shoulders and lifted me into sitting position, resting my head on his shoulder.**

**"Come on!" He yelled to the others. "What's wrong with you people? Let's get her to the Big House."**

**Then I took a shaky breath. I coughed and opened my eyes. Everything was blurry at first. A crowd of people but none of them near to me... except the boy. **

**His irises were startlingly green – sea green.**

**I stared at him in bewilderment, shivering and wild-eyed. "Who-"**

**"I'm Percy," He said. "You're safe now." Was I? What was happening? **

**"Strangest dream …" Was it real? Where are Luke and Annabeth? **

**"It's okay." Nothing is Ok... I feel so confused. **

**"Dying." I mumbled. I thought I'd – Maybe they found me before I'd died. **

**"No," He assured me. **

**"You're okay. What's your name?" The words rang around my head. **

What was happening? I remember... Luke and Annabeth... We were atop the hill, fighting. I'd tried to stop them... Right?

His eyes changed ever so slightly as I tried to answer him. It was as if he already knew the answer. As if he knew who I was and what I'd done. But how could he? I just got here.

_Flash back time._

Luke cried out my name as the monster scraped a claw down my arm.

"Keep going!" I yell back.

I looked around. Grover was doing exactly what I'd told him to do: get Annabeth to safety no matter what. He was trying for all he was worth but there were so many monsters. Annabeth was giving it her all. For a seven year old girl she was good. But still a seven year old.

I heard a grunt from my left and saw Luke battling his hardest. Why weren't the supposed safe camp coming to help us? Why weren't the gods helping us? Why did we have to live like this? But there's no time to sit around and complain about how unfair your life is when you're about to be killed by a bunch of monsters.

I heard my name be screamed into the wind again but this time it was Annabeth. She was looking at me, her eyes wide with terror and desperation.

I turn in time to stop the fatal blow. Focus! You can't die now! I slam my sword through the monster's stomach fiercely and turn to help Luke. But I can't get to him. I try, I try so hard.

"Up! Head up!" I call to him hoping he'd hear. And he does. Thank goodness! We battle our way up, parallel to each other. "Grover!" I call.

He sees us and pulls us both toward him. We've got some clear space but I can see them. Down below. They're coming for us. No, not us. Me. This is my fault.

I gasp but the wind rips away the sound. Rain is splattering my face making my rare tears indistinguishable.

I can't let anything happen to Luke or Annabeth. Not after what I've put them through. I'm a magnet for monsters because of who my father is.

"You have to go on without me." I yell.

"What?" Luke yells back. "We're almost there, just a bit further!"

"They're almost on us!" And they are. "Go and get Annabeth to safety or so help me!" I know I can be scary so I milk it for all it's worth.

"No! You can't!" Annabeth screamed from where she was running beside Luke.

"C'mon Annabeth we've got to go." Luke says deathly calm. His blue eyes on mine.

"No! We can't! She can't! The family!" She screams as Luke picks her up and over his shoulder.

"Goodbye Luke." I try to sound as if it were a simple goodbye and not one signalling my death.

"Goodbye Thalia. I'll make sure you're never forgotten. They'll pay for what they've done to you." I hope he means the monsters.

"Just make sure you survive first." We're standing at the top of the hill. He just needs to go down the other side. And I'll stay here. The monsters are almost upon us so he needs to go.

He opens his mouth to say something more but I cut him off. "Just go! Het out of here!" I scream at him. The look on his face I can barely describe. He looks so pained... I guess I'd look the same if he was about to die.

With one last look he runs down the other side with Annabeth crying on his back and Grover weeping at his side. My brave family. I turn to face the monsters head on.

"Bring it on!" I yell down at them. I stand tall, aegis on my arm and a sword in my hand. I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready.

Why did Luke look so pained? Why am I still thinking about him? I wish I could – no! I never realised! I never told him! Did he too? That was my expression on his face. The one I would use. The one only for him.

"Luke!" I scream.

Lightning strikes –

I see a talon –

I see a bright light –

I see darkness –

Am I dead?

How long will this last?

I feel tired –

I think I'll...

Goodbye Luke, goodbye Annabeth, goodbye Grover, goodbye life.

_End of flashback. _

"I'm Thalia," I said. "Daughter of Zeus."


	2. What the Hades?

I groaned as I woke up. I was in the camp. The centaur – Chiron he had called himself, which makes sense I guess – had helped the boy take me to a house where they gave me some ambrosia and nectar. After that I passed out but not before I asked where Luke and Annabeth were. They had shared a look but didn't answer me as the blackness closed in around me.

I feel stiff as I try and sit up in the infirmary (I'm guessing) although... It's just a room. Maybe we each get a room. Me, Annabeth and Luke. Where's Grover too? I think I saw him when Percy – green eyes – carried me... but that Satyr looked too old to be Grover. Grover's horns were just coming in and he certainly didn't have a goatee!

"Thalia?" A voice asked beside me. It was a girl, muscular, blonde... Beautifully startling grey eyes... Annabeth? No way! This girl looked around thirteen not the seven year old I knew! Maybe it was another daughter of Athena, they all look similar right?

"Thals... it's me." She said sounding worried now.

"Hush child. This must be strange for her." The centaur dude said in a knowing voice. What did he know? He didn't know anything about me! How could he possibly know how I feel?

"Where are Annabeth and Luke?" I demanded. The blonde girl winced... No... I frown.

"C'mon," Says another voice. The boy, Percy. "Annabeth let Chiron explain."

"No it has to be me! You don't understand Percy... Family..." She whispered the last bit but I heard.

"Annabeth? But you're... you're older! You're like –"

"Thirteen." She murmured. I started breathing hard... What in the Hades was happening?!

"Annabeth listen to me." Percy insisted. "Think how hard it was for you when each thing happened, now imagine how hard it would be if all that has happened came on you all at once." He watched her faces as she bit her lip and sighed.

"Ok... OK... I'll see you later Thalia." Then she ran out of the room with that damned boy behind her. Who the Hades does he think he is? Annabeth acted like she knew... was friends with... _liked _this boy! How did she even... He just had to make her leave without explaining anything! That surely can't be Annabeth...

"Thalia?" Chiron asked.

I glared up at him not in the mood. I expected him to have some sort of reaction, at least cower back slightly but he barely even blinked. Have I been in a coma? Was everything I once knew a lie? Why hadn't Luke come to see me? Why was no one explaining anything to me! I was about to voice my queries when Chiron seemed to read my mind.

"Thalia I'm sure you have many questions but for now I just need to know what happened to you. I already have Annabeth's and... Luke's." So Luke was here, or had been. I had entertained the idea that maybe he came back for me and something had happened to me, maybe that was why I was still alive. But no.

I looked up at him trying to gage whether or not I could trust him. I opened my mouth to say something witty but ended up giving a great big sob. Suddenly I couldn't hold it in. I had died, or almost died. Annabeth was almost grown up, she had a new person, Percy, who seemed to know her well. Where was Luke? Was that Grover then? All grown up? What does Luke look like then?

"Hush now child." Chiron said in a comforting way. I noticed how he didn't say "It'll be OK." Which made me worried.

"Oh gods... Oh gods! What the Hades is happening? I never cry. Not twice in two days. Maybe twice in two years, but in two days." I breathed. "Ok, you wanna know what happened? Where from?"

"The beginning." He replied vaguely. I frowned but decided to go with it. I told him about my mother, about how I ran away and met Luke and eventually met Annabeth. I told him about how we felt about being on the run and about the gods. How this past year we'd been fighting our way around until we met Grover and headed toward camp. When I got to my most recent memories, the hilltop, I froze. I didn't know how to explain that bit.

"I told Grover to... to get Annabeth over as soon as possible. She was priority. Luke and I covered them, keeping the bulk of monsters off them... We finally had a clear area once we were atop the hill. I could see them, the monsters, pooling around the bottom of the hill and I knew. I always knew it was me they were after but it was then that I knew that I had to sacrifice myself to them so that the others may live. I knew it would be my final stand... Or at least that was what I thought." There, up to date now.

"Nothing after that? That was your last memory?" He queried.

"Ye –" I was about to answer but then an image of... being very calm and very wise. I felt as though I were sleeping but I was aware of it. Every so often I got the feeling of warmth, like someone was holding my hand. Just thinking about it made me feel old.

"Thalia?" Chiron's voice broke through my haze. I shivered.

"I just... I don't know how to explain it. I felt like... Like I was very old or like I was asleep but conscious. You know how some people think that when someone's in a coma they can still think and feel things. Maybe even hear things. Well that's kind of how I felt, but more muted. Like everything was unclear. Was... Was I in a coma?"

"No Thalia. Not quite." He half answered. I bristled, I had told him everything! My whole life story! And yet he still won't answer my questions!

"Thalia... The day you remember... When you sacrificed yourself to save your friends you did die. Or partially. Your father took pity on you and turned you into a tree." Excuse me? I was tree? A freaking tree?

"Are you being serious?" I asked incredulously.

"A pine tree to be exact. It's known as Thalia's pine tree. Because of you a magical boarder surrounded the entire camp keeping out monsters. You not only kept Annabeth, Grover and Luke safe but also every camper here and I'm sure many of us owe you our lives." He said it so sincerely.

"I... How long?" I demanded.

"Well..."

"How. Long?"

"About six years." He conceded.

"How am I here then?" I questioned. I tried to keep my heart rate and breathing in check. I didn't want him thinking I couldn't handle it.

"Percy, Annabeth, Grover and another camper, Clarisse got the golden fleece to save your tree." There was his name again. It should be Luke, Annabeth, Grover and me. What happened? Why did Luke do anything? Wait a second... Save my tree?

"Save my tree? What happened to my tree – er – to me?" A weird look came over Chiron's face as if he'd said too much or something he wasn't supposed to tell me.

"It – you – were poisoned." He watched my reaction carefully.

"Why... Who poisoned me?" I frowned. It couldn't be a camper, they need my protection. If it were a monster... No they prefer the hands on approach and could they even get that close to it?

"At first I was blamed." He told me. I eyed him wearily. "Not to worry, the real culprit was... found out." I noticed how he didn't say who it was and that they were caught. Whoever had tried to poison me was still out there and I had the feeling Chiron knew who it was but wasn't going to tell me anytime soon.

"Hello?" A voice asked from the door. It creaked open and Grover's worried face appeared.

"Grover!" I smiled.

"Hey Thals." He sounded pretty awkward. "Can I come in?"

"Yes." Chiron said. "I'll go now. I've explained what happened." Grover sent him a look.

"Everything?" He asked.

"No... I haven't told her the –" Chiron started.

"Yeah OK." Grover takes a deep breath and comes over to my bedside. "Hey."

"You've grown." Is all I say. I have so many questions but... I'd rather know how he's doing.

He laughs, "Yeah just a bit. You look older too." He smiles.

"I do?" I asked. He takes my hand and helps me over to a mirror in the corner of the room. "Oh my gods..." I gasped. I do look older. Did I age normally? No... I should be... Wait how many years had it been? Suddenly everything seemed to crash down on me. My breathing hitched and Grover held me up as my knees gave out.

"Thalia?" He asked as everything went black.


End file.
